Friday nights at The Canopy Club usually consist of live performances in English, but not this week.

Hosted at The Canopy Club and presented by U Had To Be There, K-Pop DJ Night was a dance party where K-Pop fans joined together to sing and dance to their favorite songs all night long.

Enthused K-Pop fans lined up outside The Canopy Club with high expectations for the night.

“I want it to be hype,” said Hannah O’Connor, freshman in AHS. “It’s definitely gonna be entertaining. It’s gonna be fun. I feel like if you didn’t like K-Pop before, I’m sure you’ll like it now.”

Kyli Ralford, a freshman in Education, also expressed excitement for the night’s event.

“(I’m excited) to meet more people,” Ralford said. “You don’t really see that many people because it’s a really big campus. You don’t see that many people who are into K-Pop unless you run into them by chance and you strictly ask them.”

Once the doors opened, fans piled into the venue. People talked about their favorite groups, albums and what songs they were looking forward to hearing.

The stage lights beamed onto the audience, highlighting their passionate conversations. More mellow K-Pop songs sounded while the audience waited for the first act.

Alongside the music, the University’s K-Pop cover dance groups — CHOOM, K-Project and TRUTH AND BEAUTY — performed special choreographies. All the lights on the stage went off when a cover group was coming on, and people cheered as if it was their favorite sports team.

The cover group CHOOM came onto the stage, beginning with the song “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by BLACKPINK. The crowd came to life with the familiarity of the beat and harmonies.

The group performed the actual choreography of BLACKPINK members. “DDU-DU DDU-DU” contains a heavy bass and powerful synths, which lead to sharp and minimal dance movements. Dancers wore black outfits to compliment the simple yet hardcore sound of the song.

Well-known, loved and upbeat K-Pop songs were played between cover group performances. Fans jumped up and down to the fast-paced songs in the front of the venue. At the back, there was a dance circle for those who danced to the dedicated choreographies.

Sally Xue, a sophomore in LAS, said she enjoyed many aspects of the event.

“Originally, I was here for a friend’s performance,” she said. “But I really enjoyed the DJ part as well!”

The DJ, who goes by DJ YJK, happily shared with the audience that this was his first time doing a live set. Xue said DJ YJK often interacted with the audience and asked about the songs they would love to hear.

“Dancing and singing with familiar K-Pop songs are really cool, and the DJ’s remix brings them new energy,” Xue said.

After various popular songs, the dance group TRUTH AND BEAUTY captivated the floor with their cover of “Mmmh” by Kai, a member of the K-Pop group Exo. The slow and sensual song was complemented by the group’s dark blue outfits and smooth moves.

“(The dances) were emotional, energetic, engaging and great dancing overall,” Xue said.

DJ YJK alternated with dance groups on the stage. The cover group K-Project shortly went on after performing “Good Boy Gone Bad” by TXT. It was a fiery performance with loads of energy and charisma.

Ralford said the event was a good opportunity to get together with people who shared similar interests.

“When it comes to random dances and stuff, (I’m) being able to dance and sing to songs that other people know, being about to get together to do that,” Ralford said.

The venue mostly stayed packed throughout the evening, allowing all K-Pop fans to mingle with each other and jam out.

Like any other event, the K-Pop night eventually came to an end. More lively songs sounded to finish the night on a good note.

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